Spatial Computing: Beyond VR

It's Not Just a VR Headset

When people first hear "spatial computing," they tend to think of VR gaming. But it's actually a much broader concept. It refers to the entire spectrum of technology that overlays digital information onto physical space.

Apple put the term "spatial computing" front and center when they launched the Vision Pro. Meta continues pushing the Quest series, and Samsung-Google are preparing a joint device.

As of 2026, cumulative global spatial computing device sales are around 47 million units. Compared to the 1.2 billion smartphones sold annually, it's still a niche market.

I Actually Used One

I borrowed a Vision Pro for about two weeks. (A friend bought one and wasn't using it. A 4.99 million won dust collector.)

The multi-display experience was genuinely good. Being able to float three monitors' worth of screen space was nice. Arranging reference docs, terminal, and editor in spatial layout while coding was a fresh experience.

But after 30 minutes, it gets heavy. It weighs about 650g, and since all that weight sits on the front of your face, your neck starts aching. Honestly, 2 hours of continuous use is pushing it. And typing is difficult. You see the keyboard through passthrough, but there's a slight perceptible lag.

The Way I See It

There's a prediction that "spatial computing will replace monitors," but I think that's at least 5-7 years away.

Three problems: weight, battery, and killer app.

Weight needs to come down to under 250g for extended wear. With current technology, that's probably 3-4 generations away.

Battery -- Vision Pro gets about 2 hours on an external battery. That's not even a commute. To get 8+ hours on an internal battery, we need fundamental advances in battery technology.

Killer app -- there isn't one yet. "Monitor replacement" alone doesn't justify a 5 million won device. Spatial computing needs something that only spatial computing can do -- something impossible on a flat screen.

What's Interesting from a Developer's Perspective

SwiftUI-based visionOS app development is more accessible than I expected. Porting an existing iOS app to visionOS takes about 2-3 weeks for the basics.

But creating UX that truly leverages spatial computing requires a completely different mindset. 2D screen UI design and 3D spatial UI design are fundamentally different. Gaze-tracking interaction, hand gestures, spatial audio -- the learning curve is steep.

WebXR is also making moves. It's an API for delivering spatial computing experiences directly in the browser, but standardization is incomplete and performance is about 40% behind native.

When Will It Go Mainstream?

Optimistically, 2029. Conservatively, 2032. When three conditions are met -- price under 1 million won, weight under 200g, battery over 8 hours -- adoption will accelerate rapidly.

Until then, it'll establish itself in specialized use cases first -- medical, architecture, education. For everyday consumer use, there's still a long way to go. But technology has a way of outpacing predictions, so it could come sooner than expected.